Economists and Societies: Discipline and Profession in the United States, Britain, and France, 1890s to 1990s (Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology Book 38)

Economists and Societies is the first book to systematically compare the profession of economics in the United States, Britain, and France, and to explain why economics, far from being a uniform science, differs in important ways among these three countries. Drawing on in-depth interviews with economists, institutional analysis, and a wealth of scholarly evidence, Marion Fourcade traces the history of economics in each country from the late nineteenth century to the present, demonstrating how each political, cultural, and institutional context gave rise to a distinct professional and disciplinary configuration. She argues that because the substance of political life varied from country to country, people's experience and understanding of the economy, and their political and intellectual battles over it, crystallized in different ways—through scientific and mercantile professionalism in the United States, public-minded elitism in Britain, and statist divisions in France. Fourcade moves past old debates about the relationship between culture and institutions in the production of expert knowledge to show that scientific and practical claims over the economy in these three societies arose from different elites with different intellectual orientations, institutional entanglements, and social purposes. Much more than a history of the economics profession, Economists and Societies is a revealing exploration of American, French, and British society and culture as seen through the lens of their respective economic institutions and the distinctive character of their economic experts.

economists And Societies Is An Eye-opener For Economists. A Study Of The Sociological Reasons Why Economists Do What They Do, It Shows That Economics In The United States, Britain, And France Has Very Different Orientations. Fourcade Demonstrates Irrefutably That Economists Are As Much Influenced By Where They Are Located As By Their Supposed Adherence To 'scientific Method.' This Is A Revolutionary Book.--george A. Akerlof, Nobel Prize-winning Economist

a Masterpiece. Fourcade Shows A Deep Understanding Of The Institutional Differences Between Britain, France, And The United States, And Demonstrates How They Have Produced Differences In The Forms That Professional Economics Has Taken. She Explores Uncharted Territory And Sketches A Novel Theory Of How Economics Took Such Different Courses In These Three Countries. This Is A Remarkable, Stunning Book.--frank Dobbin, Harvard University

this Book Is A Remarkable Study Of How, In An Age When Economics Has Become An International Discipline, Cultural Differences Between Three Societies Have Influenced The Way The Discipline Has Developed. It Would Be Hard To Read This Wide-ranging Book And Not Learn Much About How Economics Developed In The Twentieth Century.--roger E. Backhouse, Author Of the Ordinary Business Of Life

a Wide-ranging Historical Survey Of The Origins, Institutionalization, And Transformation Of The Discipline And Profession Of Economics. Fourcade Poses The Very Important Question As To Why We Do Not Have A Single 'market' For Economic Ideas In The World. Few Books Succeed So Well At Showing The Great Number Of Historical And Institutional Contingencies That Shape The Production And Consumption Of Scientific Knowledge.--mauro F. Guillén, Coauthor Of building A Global Bank

why Does Modern Economics Look The Way It Does? An Economist Would Say It Was A Reflection Of The Generic Economy. Fourcade Instead Asserts That It Has Everything To Do With The Institutional Structures Of Its National Incubators. Her Indispensable Book Elevates The Story Of Economics To A New Level Of Sophistication.--philip Mirowski, Author Of machine Dreams

many Economists And Other Scholars Still Believe Economics To Be Homogenous, And Fourcade Dispels This Wrong Belief. economists And Societies Contributes To The Literature On Professions And Scientific Knowledge By Demonstrating The Importance Of Various Structural And Institutional Arrangements In Determining The Nature Of Scientific Knowledge.--yuval Yonay, University Of Haifa

bruce E. Kaufman - Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal

in-depth And Well-informed Comparative Analyses Of Cross-country Differences In The Practice And Conceptualization Of Economics Are Few In Number; Hence, Fourcade's Book Is A Welcome And Valuable Addition To The Literature. Certainly It Is An Impressive Product For A Young Scholar.

Frontmatter List of Figures (page vii) List of Tables (page ix) Preface (page xi) List of Abbreviations (page xix) INTRODUCTION Economics and Society (page 1) Three Trajectories (page 7) Critical Organized Comparisons (page 12) National Constellations (page 15) The Dialectical Relationship between Culture and Economics (page 28) CHAPTER ONE Institutional Logics in Comparative Perspective (page 31) Federal Constitutionalism in America (page 32) The Rise and Fall of British Elitism (page 40) The Transformation of French Statism (page 50) Institutional Complementarities and the Coherence of Social Life (page 59) CHAPTER TWO The United States: Merchant Professionals (page 61) Forms of Academic Entrenchment (page 63) The Meaning of Science in American Economics (page 77) The Academic Roots of Public Expertise (page 96) The Economics Industry (page 114) American Economists, from Professional Scientism to Scientific Professionalism (page 125) CHAPTER THREE Britain: Public-Minded Elites (page 129) A Late but Extensive Institutionalization (page 131) The Scientific and Moral Transformation of British Economics (page 148) Administrators and Specialists (page 163) Economic Persuasion (page 175) The Waning High Culture of British Economics (page 183) CHAPTER FOUR France: Statist Divisions (page 185) A Fragmented Academicization (page 187) The Nationalization of Economic Expertise (page 203) The "Administrative Economists" (page 215) The Missing Private Jurisdiction (page 225) Economists as Intellectuals, Intellectuals as Economists (page 230) The Segmented Worlds of French Economics (page 234) CONCLUSION: Economists and Societies (page 237) The Social Structures of Economics in Comparative Perspective (page 241) Contribution of a Sociology of Economic Knowledge to Economic Sociology (page 261) Appendix (page 263) Notes (page 269) References (page 315) Index (page 369) Annotation Economists and Societies is the first book to systematically compare the profession of economics in the United States, Britain, and France, and to explain why economics, far from being a uniform science, differs in important ways among these three countries. Drawing on in-depth interviews with economists, institutional analysis, and a wealth of scholarly evidence, Marion Fourcade traces the history of economics in each country from the late nineteenth century to the present, demonstrating how each political, cultural, and institutional context gave rise to a distinct professional and disciplinary configuration. She argues that because the substance of political life varied from country to country, people's experience and understanding of the economy, and their political and intellectual battles over it, crystallized in different ways--through scientific and mercantile professionalism in the United States, public-minded elitism in Britain, and statist divisions in France. Fourcade moves past old debates about the relationship between culture and institutions in the production of expert knowledge to show that scientific and practical claims over the economy in these three societies arose from different elites with different intellectual orientations, institutional entanglements, and social purposes. Much more than a history of the economics profession, Economists and Societies is a revealing exploration of American, French, and British society and culture as seen through the lens of their respective economic institutions and the distinctive character of their economic experts 'Economists and Societies' explores the role of economists in the modern world. It looks at the extent of their involvement in social programs, the regulatory environment & commerce, & offers analysis of the development of this ubiquitous profession